Sun, 05 Aug 2018 01:06:51 -0700WeeblyMon, 31 Jul 2017 22:50:58 GMThttp://www.paperbacksunlimited.net/blog/survey-results-favorite-summer-readingWhat is Your Favorite Book to Read on Vacation, by the Pool, or at the Beach?

Top Choices:1. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling 2. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg3. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams 5. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Also Mentioned (in no particular order):

The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi PandianCozy mysteries by AnyA-Z by Sue GraftonBeach Music by Pat ConroySick Puppy by Carl HiaasenAny by Louise PennyMy Sister's Keeper by Jodi PicoultThe Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazAny by Susan Wittig AlbertAny by Jodi PicoultMy Brilliant Friend by Elena FerranteYou Slay Me by Katie MacalisterSometimes a Great Notion by Ken KeseyFirst Grave on the Right by Darynda JonesEleanor Olyphant is Completely Fine by Gail HoneymanAny by Mary Alice MonroeKitchen Wife by Kathryn GrissomNancy Drew Mysteries by Carolyn KeeneA Walk in the Woods by Bill BrysonA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty SmithAny by Nora RobertsThe Samurai's Garden by Gail TsukiyamaThe Pillars of the Earth by Ken FolletWorthy Brown's Daughter by Philip MargolinThe Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean AuelShibumi by Trevanian

Your Top Choices:1. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman2.All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr3. The Murder House by James Patterson4. The Book Of Speculation by Erika Swyler

Almost Mentioned (in no particular order):

"Charley Davidson" series by Darynda JonesDaemon by Daniel SuarezAssassin's Fate by Robin HobbJohannes Cabal, Necromancer by Johnathan HowardThe Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra PatrickEarthly Remains by Donna LeonGirl on the Train by Paula HawkinsThe More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible by Charles EinsteinSmall Great Things by Jodi PicoultThe Gentleman of Moscow by Amor TowlesWe Are All Made of Molecules by Susin NielsenCome Sundown by Nora RobertsThe Boys in the Boat by Daniel BrownFirst Grave on the Right by Darynda JonesZoo Keepers Wife by Diane AckermanAny by Colin CotterillAny by Wallace StegnerNews of the World by Paulette JilesThe Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy TanAny by Patricia GibneyThe Widow by Fiona BartonMaisie Dobbs series by Violet WinspearCharcoal Joe by Walter MosleyCommand and Control by Eric SchlosserJust Mercy by Jodi PicoultThe Light Between Oceans by M L StedmanThe Lonesome Gods by Louis L'AmourAny by Vince Flynn]]>Sat, 01 Jul 2017 15:57:23 GMThttp://www.paperbacksunlimited.net/blog/should-you-be-reading-young-adult-books

The children and teen segment of the book industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the past several years. The number of young adult titles doubled between 2002 and 2012, with over 10,000 young adult books published in 2012 alone. The juvenile section of our store is taking over more and more space. A recent survey showed that the majority of young adult books are purchased by adults and most of them are buying for themselves!

To my thinking, a major influence on this phenomena was the publication of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series has become the bestselling book series in history. The books were well received by critics, hugely popular with young people, and made into blockbuster movies. Many parents like to read some of the same books as their children and then set aside a time for a family discussion. Adults became interested in what had so captivated their children and most loved the series as much as their kids did.

Another young adult series popular with both adults and teens is the Suzanne Collins Hunger Games series. The Katness Everdeen character is such a great role model for girls and I loved the movies. Along those same lines is the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, his classic fantasy series, was one of the first series to achieve popularity with both young people and adults. A series not well received by reviewers, but very popular with teens and adults, is the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.

I have noticed an upsurge in local book clubs choosing to read young adult books. One very popular choice is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was chosen by someone in my book club and all the members were impressed. It is a wonderful story of a young girl that takes place in Germany during World War Two. Another popular choice is The Fault Is In Our Stars by John Green. It is a story of two teenage cancer survivors but really is a celebration of life. All the books mentioned so far were also made into popular movies, which definitely helps propel book sales and makes them more appealing to kids. Some other juvenile books that could be appropriate for book club choices are: The Giver by Lois Lowry, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.​One other suggestion is to consider reading juvenile books written by your favorite adult writers. Another fairly recent trend is for well established authors of adult fiction to write the occasional children's book. As an avid mystery fan I can now read juvenile books written by my favorite writers in the mystery genre: Harlen Coben, Robert Parker, Ridley Pearson, Carl Hiaasen and David Baldacci have all written books for kids/teens. James Patterson has also written several series for young readers. Readers of historical and contemporary fiction such as Phillipa Gregory, Margaret Atwood, Isabel Allende , Alice Hoffman, Jane Smiley and Judy Blume can also check out their favorite author's offerings in the young adult category.

So to answer the question I posed at the beginning of this article, the answer is a resounding YES! Young adult books can make great summer escapism reading for you and it may be a good way to connect with your teenagers. My daughter has a tradition of reading books with her children and then watching the movies based on the books. The kids have always enjoyed knowing they were going to get to see a movie after the reading was done! This process will help your kids develop an appreciation for literature, it will help you gain insight into how your children think, and it can open the door to some great conversations with your kids or grandchildren.

. The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin. The Run of his Life by Jeffrey Toobin. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. UnBroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Defending Jacob by William Landry

I often wonder (and sometimes ask) customers and friends what draws them to choose a particular book cold off a shelf for their next read. Answers are as varied as there are choices and are always interesting to me. My choices are varied as well but usually, when starting from scratch on a new stream of reading the subject leads me from one book to another. My latest choices started with a jury duty notice for me on a murder case. I sat one whole week while a jury was seated. My number was never called but I was fascinated and slightly appalled at the process. So began my next book obsession.I started with Jeffrey Toobin’s The Nine, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. It starts with the death of William Renquist in 2005 and paints a troubling picture of the power they have and how often it comes down to one person making the decisions on how to interpret laws that have been passed. Whenever a new Justice is seated it can shift the direction of the whole court’s rulings overnight. Issues such as abortion, civil rights and church-state relations have been interpreted by the supreme court in different ways, depending on who those nine judges are, without the original law being changed.That led me to The Run of His Life, also by Jeffrey Toobin about the O.J. Simpson case. As a journalist he covered the trial for The New Yorker magazine. He was in a unique position to talk to both the Defense Team, Prosecutors, Judge Ito and all the witnesses on both sides. He was in court for the whole trial and was able to observe the jury and report on the unprecedented number of conflicts and removal of jury members during the course of the nine month “ trial of the century”.Of course my obsession with our system of justice brought me to read other Jeffrey Toobin books: A Vast Conspiracy (about Clinton) and American Heiress (about Patty Hearst). He writes about complex issues but makes them thoroughly understandable and fascinating. I must mention here that years ago I was reading a lot of true crime books. Ann Rule tells riveting tales which start with descriptions about the place, time, and families of both the victims and perpetrators. She also recaps the trials and the effects of them on the families and the jurors. An interesting side note: Ann Rule used to work with Ted Bundy.Next focus… World War II. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. In depth reportage of the 1936 Olympics and the boys who rowed to victory over Hitler’s boys. A close look at how this team of nine unlikely winners came to find success through shear hard work and determination and a look into Hitler’s tyrannical hold on the Germany of that era. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand set in 1943 tells the story of a long distance runner who became an airman who crashed in the Pacific and ended up in a life raft miles out to sea. He survived sharks, enemy air craft, near starvation. A miracle of a story and interesting book. Switching gears again I picked up William Landay’s book – Defending Jacob a mystery (fiction) in which the murder of a young boy is blamed on the son of a District Attorney. It contained a lot of information about the jury trial and that intrigued me. It raises some interesting ethical/moral questions which I am still pondering long after I put the book back on the shelf.I would love to hear from some of you about your favorite reads…. It may start my next stream of reading.

​As a baby boomer I was raised on westerns. I remember spending many nights in front of our old Sylvania black and white TV watching episodes of “Bonanza”,”Gunsmoke”,”the Rifleman”, and other western shows that were the staple of early television. I had on my cowboy hat and my cap gun and would disappear into the adventures of my favorite western heroes.Not much has changed, I still watch the repeats on TV of those same heroes. But I also read of their exploits in books. The great thing about books is that all the action takes place in my imagination. I’m riding the range on my favorite noble steed, upholding the virtue of a pioneer woman, and clinging to the code of the west. All of these things are available in the western section of our store.I first began my literary journey in the writings of Americas preeminent western writer, Louis L’amour. In his series of novels about the Sackett family (many of which have been adapted for film) I was transported through the history of our nation. From the earliest settlers to the western expansion. Mr. L’amour has written well over 100 novels and short stories.There are many other western writers available in our western section. Max Brand, William Johnstone, Zane Grey, among others, but there are also authors that have written great western novels that are mostly known for their writings in other genres.Robert B. Parker, better known for his Spencer and Jesse Stone Mysteries, first wrote of the adventures of Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch in the novel “Appaloosa” (later adapted for film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortesen). He wrote three other Hitch and Cole novels before his passing and the mantel has been passed to Robert Knott. Check them out.Ron Hansen has also written three novels of western historical fiction. The first was “Desperados”, a telling of the Dalton Gangs failed attempt to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Ks. on the same day. “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford” was next and made into a film starring Brad Pitt. His newest novel is “The Kid” (I bet you can figure out who it’s about).Then there’s Mary Doria Russell who has written two outstanding historical novels about two of the greatest western icons ever. “Doc” about the famed southern dentist Doc Holliday during his time before the history making shoot out at the OK corral and “Epitaph” on the life of Wyatt Earp.So come on in and lose yourself in the history of the old west. Maybe we’ll see each other down the trail.Curtis

Do you prefer to read a book first or watch the movie? Have you ever read a book, only to be sorely disappointed by the correlating movie? Have you watched a movie and loved it so much you wanted to read the book to learn more & experience the story more deeply? I can remember the first time that I watched a movie specifically because I loved the book so much. It was Maeve Binchy's "Circle Of Friends". It is a sweet story about a woman who goes through many challenges while dealing with self doubt and a lack of self esteem. The character triumphs in the end by realizing her own strength and leaving the man she had been so dependent upon for her own self worth. I was appalled and disappointed when I watched the movie and the main character ended up staying with the guy. I could not believe that they had changed the story line so drastically as to have completely missed the whole point of the book! Well, the movie was a love story and if I had never read the book, it would likely have been a great movie with a happy ending (always have to have a happy ending at the movies...). This taught me about the latitude that movie producers have when making a movie out of a book. Sometimes it is a great thing and sometimes very disappointing!

I always suggest reading a book before seeing the movie. This allows you to create a vision of the characters & locations with your own mind before the picture in your mind is determined by the actors who play the characters and the producer's vision becomes your own. Also, a lot of a 350 page book must be left out of a movie. For instance, the movie Jurassic Park begins about 1/3 of the way into the book. The part that is left out is a fascinating description of how the dinosaur DNA is discovered and eventually used to create the real animals that will inhabit the soon to be dinosaur park. Usually, huge amounts of character development, behind the scene motivations, and back story need to be left out of a movie to keep it within a 2 hour time frame. Movies need to be more condensed as well as many nuances cannot be successfully translated onto the movie screen.

Do you read a book and then watch the movie? Have you ever seen a movie and then decided to read the book? How was that experience for you?

]]>Thu, 05 May 2016 14:07:11 GMThttp://www.paperbacksunlimited.net/blog/fantastic-fiction-is-aptly-namedFantasticfiction.com is the premier database for fiction on the internet. It contains bibliographies for over 50,000 authors. It has information on over 600,000 books, including cover pictures, descriptions and publishing details. It covers hardbacks, paperbacks, audio and Kindle editions.

Each author listing displays a picture of the author, a biography, and a complete list of all their published works. The novels are listed by series and publishing date. Next comes a list of all the awards won by the author, books written about them, and then, a list of their book recommendations.

There is an extensive list of literary award winners, from the Agatha Awards to the World Fantasy Award. The National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Newberry Awards, and the Edgar Award are all included.

If you are interested in reading an author from a specific country, there is a list for that. Scotland, for example, has a list of 266 authors to choose from.

If you happen to like a certain series that is written by more than one author then this is the place for you! If you look under the listing for books in the Conan series, you will find a list of 84 different authors that have written books in the popular series.

We regularly use this website for research at the bookstore and hope you will find it as interesting and helpful as we do.]]>Mon, 02 May 2016 04:26:52 GMThttp://www.paperbacksunlimited.net/blog/connies-may-picks

The Spirit Catches you and you fall downBy Anne Fadiman

Play to the EndBy Robert Goddard

In the WoodsBy Tana French

The Professor and the MadmanBy Simon Winchester

The Other Boleyn GirlBy Philippa Gregory

My usual favorite books are nonfiction and it seems that one book leads to another on a particular subject or author. This can easily overlap from nonfiction to reading a fiction book (or two or three) on the same subject. Such was the case of English history in the time of King Henry VIII… I went back and forth between nonfiction writers such as Alison Weir and fiction writers such as Philippa Gregory.

I read The Spirit Catches you and you Fall Down many years ago and it has remained my favorite book since then. It is the story of a Hmong family with a child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. The medical staff in Merced and her family both want what is best for Lia but cultural and language differences combine to make this difficult to accomplish. Fadiman explores the Hmong culture and ours with empathy and it is a book that makes you think deep and hard about respect and understanding. It won several book awards and is now required reading in many medical schools.

Then there is Erik Larsen whose nonfiction books cover true crime and the Chicago World’s Fair in The Devil and the White City, Gun Violence in Lethal Passage in which he follows the “life” of a weapon used by a teenager who shot several rounds of ammunition at his Virginia high school, in Isaac’s Storm he explores how the seaside town of Galveston, Texas was ravished by a hurricane that killed over six thousand people and why.. he includes the politics surrounding the delayed reports of the storms arrival as well as the science of hurricanes and the devastating effects the storm had on the area. His books are varied and always interesting and well written.

Simon Winchester is another favorite author who has several, varied nonfiction titles. The first I read was The Devil and the Madman about the writing of the Oxford English dictionary. The title gives you an idea of what the book is going to reveal, never the less Simon Winchester makes you want to read every word. He also has written about the annihilation of Krakatoa in 1883 the volcano set off a tsunami that reportedly killed 35 thousand people. Check out his other books as he has written on varied topics.I do like to read stand alone mysteries … no series for me. Lately I have enjoyed Play to the End by Robert Goddard and In The Woods by Tana French, both books are suspenseful, well written page turners.]]>Wed, 30 Mar 2016 21:36:21 GMThttp://www.paperbacksunlimited.net/blog/march-30th-2016

Hi I’m Terry, and I’m going to share some of my favorite authors and books this month. My reading style is all over the map, though I generally read a lot of science fiction and dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic fiction. Here are some of my favorites:

I’ll start with Kim Stanley Robinson and his book The Years of Rice and Salt. This was an interesting piece of alternative history which involves the Black Death during the middle ages killing 99% of Europeans instead of the third to half of the population in our history. This allows Middle Eastern, East Asian and Native American cultures to flourish in their stead leading to different world outcomes. The story is told through 10 generations with each group reincarnating throughout the history of the alternate timeline. If you’re looking for an interesting read that takes you outside of what we know to be true then you should definitely check it out. Other titles I enjoyed were 2312 and The Wild Shore.

If you’re looking for something a little lighter and funnier, check out Christopher Moore. He writes absurdist fiction, usually involving an every man or woman becoming involved with supernatural or extraordinary situations. My first, and favorite, novel I read by him was Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. It starts with Biff being resurrected in the 20th century to complete missing parts of the bible. He proceeds to tell a humorous story of his and Joshua’s’ missing years where they travel eastward in search of the Three Wise Men to help Joshua become the Messiah, and the antics and misadventures they encounter. As long as you can handle a little religious satire this is a hilarious book and a quick read. Some other titles I enjoyed were Fluke and Bloodsucking Fiends.

For a look at how the world might be in the future, check out The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. This Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel depicts the world 200 years into the future where climate change has raised the oceans and drastically changed the landscape, carbon fuel sources have been depleted, and biotech companies control the remaining food crops which have been ravaged by bioterrorism, plagues, and mutant pests, and maintain this control through private armies and economic hitmen. These companies are constantly on the search for new sources of original seed stock as most other. The story takes place in Thailand, which is below sea level and protected from flooding by levees and pumps. It is told through the perspective of several characters, including an Economic hitman for one of the Biotech on an undercover mission, a captain for the enforcement wing of the Environment Ministry, and Emiko, a genetically modified “Windup” girl. This book was a fascinating, faced paced read through a somewhat familiar, and in many ways alien, world, showing the possible outcome of forces that are in effect today. A warning though: There are two violent and disturbing rape scenes, so if you’re sensitive to such depictions it may be best to avoid this one.

If you like large series that span several generations then check out the Emberverse series, which is part of the greater Change universe, starting with Dies the Fire, by S. M. Stirling. In a world where most modern technology, including gunpowder, stops working, a disparate group of people must come together to survive. The culture they develop reverts to a feudal system and throughout the books they have to deal with learning to be self-sufficient, warlords, cannibals, and the underlying mystery for why technology has stopped working. There are exciting battle scenes with medieval type weapons, romance, drama.

And last but not least is Margaret Atwood, probably most famous for her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, which is a modern classic depicting a dystopian world where declining birth rates and a sharp rise in birth defects has lead to religious fanatics taking over the United States to form the Republic of Gilead. Women have lost all self-determination and are grouped into different castes, with those who are able to reproduce being known as Handmaids and used by the elite. The story is told through one of these Handmaids named Offred. It is not light reading by any means, but covers so many different topics and is excellently written. Another favorite of mine was The MaddAddam trilogy starting with Oryx and Crake.

Thanks for reading and I hope you try out some of these titles and find some new authors you enjoy!

]]>Wed, 30 Mar 2016 20:41:13 GMThttp://www.paperbacksunlimited.net/blog/three-ways-to-find-your-new-favorite-authorHave you read every single book by all of your favorite authors? Do they not write fast enough to satisfy you? Are you craving a new series to fall in love with? Try these three strategies for finding a new Favorite Author!

1. Search “If you Like” in your computer's search engine. There are thousands of libraries, book clubs, & avid readers who have put out lists of similar authors. Simply type “If you like__________(name of favorite author)” into any search engine and you should get many lists to peruse. These will often have many great suggestions and ideas to try. Remember that these lists are people's opinions and you may or may not agree with them. There also often include obscure authors that may be hard to find. We are happy to help you with a search and to give our opinion. This is a great place to start getting some ideas. Just pick up something by a new author, read the synopsis on the back of the book and see if it sounds interesting!

2. Read about a theme. What books have you read lately that have sparked your interest? Did they include something that you would like to read about further? Maybe an interesting location? A certain type of animal? A time period? A hobby? These are all fun ways to find new books & authors. Read books all set in China or Egypt. (Super fun if you're going to be visiting there soon or have recently) Read all of the books that came out last year about elephants. Which ones did you like? Read more by those authors. Do you love knitting/gardening/dogs/cats/national parks/travel? There are so many fiction books written around a theme. It is a great way to read about something that you are interested in while finding a new author to love!

3. Read Anthologies! Short stories are not my first choice but I have found that they can be a great source for finding new authors. I often try to get an anthology that includes an author that I am already familiar with. This gives me at least one story that I should enjoy. Anthologies typically feature authors with compatible writing styles, subjects or common themes. If you don't like a story, don't worry, it will be over soon! If you do, great, try out some of that author's complete novels! In our store, anthologies are located at the end of each genre section. ie: Mysteries are at the end of the Mystery & Adventure section, Literature collections are at the end of the Fiction section. I have found a couple of my favorites this way!

Let us know if you'd like guidance with any of these strategies—we're happy to help!